My very northern mother always said you don't need "ettiquite lessons" to be a "condescending and fake gold-digging bitch with a drawl".

Hahaha.

She was so angsty in her young days. I think her first fiance was stolen away by a Georgia peach or something.

All I know is that she raised me to be a lady by her standards, and that's done this Chicago girl living in Arizona fine in all of her travels, North and South of the Mason-Dixon line.

Just remembered something else today on my way to work... when you are asking for smething go overboard with appreciation... like "I really hate to trouble you with this, if you can't do it I completely understand, but..... could you....." And then compliment on what a nice job they have done.... "I just can't thank you enough! That was so sweet and kind of you to help me like that! Let me know if I can ever help you".
Sounding so helpless to a man makes him feel like he is that good and you are so innocent, how could he say no?

Today, Amazon.com delivered my copy of "What Southern Women Know"! I've flipped through it and it looks like a darling book! I'm going to start reading it tonight :)

are me and my friends the only southern girls who got a debutante ball during their senior year???

No, my first one was when I was a HS junior. This particular organization presented debs beginning in their senior year through senior year of college. It was a slight error on the organization's part but they couldn't rescind and I wasn't going to decline. It felt weird because I was the only in my class that year having deb stuff.

Our town TRIES SO HARD to be like New Orleans...
Both my kids were in Cotillion, but the High School group was a bust so now we only have Junior Cotillion.

All our senior girls wear white formals to Prom. This way, they have their debutante dress AND their sorority presentation formal.
(Some debs wear theme dresses though, so they only wear their white formal two times.)

I do think you have to commend the parents (mothers) who help perpetuate "rules" of being a belle. If the right nuance or polish isn't there, it just won't fly. Anyone know what mean? It isn't the EASIEST thing by any means unless it's ingrained.

Hear, hear!

Without the moms of the world, society would be a lot less gracious, and a lot less respectable!

When I think of all the time my mama took to teach me the "little things" from baking fluffy biscuits to how unattractive chewing gums can be, I just love her all the more. In honor of my mama, Dixie Lee Keating, I post the following quotes, which I heard just about daily while growing up:

"Politeness is to do and say
The kindest thing in the kindest way."

"It takes so little to be kind."

"Service to others is the rent you pay for the space you occupy on earth." (this is from Albert Schweitzer)

Thanks, Mama! :)

honeychile

lol. I always heard my mom and grandmother say that. To this day I cant stand to see a girl chew gum. ESPECIALLY if she does it with her mouth open. AGH!

I was in a festival as a junior attendant when I was 10, and then as a maid my senior year of HS. (I should have been queen based on my service to the club...but this chick who's dad is in the state legislature got it...wonder why?)

My freshman year of college I was in a debutante ball.

It was the same group of girls, that I'd known practically forever. I had to try my hardest to stay a belle because those girls were incredibly mentally addled....and its just hard to stay pleasant when you're dealing with an army of stupid people. :rolleyes:

I think my favorite moment was at a luncheon where, the aforementioned girl who was queen had her chocolate mousse set in front of her and she exclaimed "OMG! MY ICE CREAM ISN'T FROZEN!"

some people smack. . .

and another thing that irks me is when people wear flip flops or sandals and they drag their feet to where it makes this slurp-clop-slurp-clop sound. . .i'm always like a lady never drags her feet. . .

and for crying out loud, spulrge on a $15 pedicure to get the dead skin off the bottom of your feet. . .there's nothing worse than a girl wearing sandals and seeing the crusted white stuff on the bottom. . .that's just gross. . .i have a foot mask that i do once a week. . .

WC, you need to join the Cute Girl Sisterhood. http://forums.greekchat.com/gcforums...&threadid=5883